Normal Again
by TheCatholicFanGirl
Summary: Daniel wakes up married to Kate and has two kids with her. But is it real or is it another hallucination? Guess where the title is from and you get cookies! Last Chapter guys, unless if you guys give me ideas, then bring 'em on.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Okay because I'm part OCD, and I couldn't stand just watching the number stuck at 69, I'm writing this. That and I had a great idea…

Daniel woke up soft and warm, and heard the shower running. He sat up, confused. Who was in the shower? He questioned himself. He heard the shower stop and he heard someone get out, she sighed. Daniel ran down stairs and started to whisper-yell for Lewicki.

Instead he found a young woman in the kitchen headphones in and making breakfast. Bacon, eggs, pancakes, the works, she spun around winked at Daniel and passed him a plate full of the stuff. "Uh…" he walked awkwardly to the table and set the stuff down and returned. She was way too busy to notice him still standing there.

"Daniel," Kate's voice called coming from the stairs. "Don't forget, Probert has a couple of suspects…" she came down her hair still damp from the shower. "From that double homicide the other week…"

Daniel frowned at her.

Kate sipped from her coffee and then stood on toe kissing his cheek. When Daniel flinched away she blinked at him. "Daniel, are you alright?"

Daniel swallowed. "What's going on?" he whispered. "Where's Lewicki?"

The girl noticed something was up and she set down a plate of food. "What's crack-a-lacking daddy?" she asked, taking out her earbuds.

"Mem, it looks like dad's having an episode, can you call Uncle Lewicki?" Kate said and nodded for her to go upstairs.

The girl nodded and attempted to stand on toe to kiss Daniel, when he flinched away the girl swallowed and ran upstairs.

"Kate," Daniel whispered. "What's going on?"

Kate winced. "What do you remember?"

Daniel frowned. "I don't…" he sighed. "It's just a mess… a… a blur…" he sighed and crossed his arms. "What's going on?"

Kate sighed. "I don't know where to begin…" she crossed her arms. "We've had you talk at walls before, but not like…" she looked down. "Not like this."

Daniel felt sad for her and he cautiously reached out a hand to her shoulder. "It's okay; I can take it, Kate Moretti, my brightest student in the class."

Kate smiled. "It's now Kate Peirce." She said and held up her left hand, smiling.

Daniel gaped at her.

"And that girl that just ran upstairs?" Kate was on a roll now; everything seemed easier for her to say. "That's our daughter."

Daniel's jaw dropped to what his limit was.

Then a young man came stumbling down the stairs. "Memory told me that Dad's having an episode." The kid looked like Kate dark brown hair with hints of red, and dark brown eyes.

"And that's her older twin brother." Kate gestured.

"Do I need to talk to anyone else in the room?" the kid asked.

"Who…" Daniel asked. Looking at Kate to the boy "Who…"

"They're ours, Justin and Memory." Kate said and put a hand on Justin's back. "We've been married for twenty five years."

Justin blinked between Daniel and Kate. "So, this sounds like an uncle Lewicki problem."

Kate sighed and kissed Justin's cheek. "Get ready for school mister." She said and ushered Justin off.

Daniel swallowed. "Justin, Justin was the name of…"

Kate nodded. "Your grandfather's name,"

Daniel frowned. "Memory,"

Kate smiled "My favorite word." She kicked at the ground. "Yours too, remember?" she asked smiling.

"I need to sit down…" Daniel said and Kate led him to the table when in the distance Daniel heard Lewicki's voice.

"Yo, Doc, are you alright?" Lewicki asked coming into his office.

Daniel frowned and straightened his glasses; he was in his office behind his desk. "Fine," he said and swallowed. "Ahh, Lewicki…" he said before scribbling grades on freshman papers.

"Yeah doc?" Lewicki asked.

Daniel glanced at his left hand, and saw no ring. Daniel shook his head. "Never mind"

"You have a class in about ten minutes." Lewicki said and handed him a granola bar. "You didn't eat much for breakfast today."

Daniel took off his glasses and touched his forehead. "Right, thank you." He said.

"Are you feeling alright, doc?" Lewicki asked.

Daniel nodded. "Fine," he said and looked at his notes. "Oh, the section on the memory part of our brains." He said and pursed his lips. "Great."

"Is something wrong?" Lewicki asked. "You told me that it's your favorite lecture every year…"

Daniel nodded. "Yeah, uh, where's Kate, Lewicki?"

"I don't know does it look like I can take care of you and her?" Lewicki scoffed. "Probably doing her FBI business," He answered after a while shrugging.

Daniel swallowed and nodded. "Okay,"

Lewicki glanced at him "Doc, are you sure you're alright?"

Daniel stood and started to leave. "Of course,"

()()()

Kate walked in. Daniel peered over his glasses. "Ah, the lovely Kate Moretti, how are you today?" he asked.

She smiled and closed the door. "Lewicki told me you were acting weird today."

Daniel blinked at her and wondered if for a second that he was in a hallucination. He rolled his eyes and sighed. "You know him, thinks I'm on the verge of crazy."

Kate raised an eyebrow. "Remember Daniel you promised." She seemed to be saying.

Daniel sighed and took of his glasses. "I had an episode." He shrugged.

Kate nodded and sat down across from him. "What happened?"

Daniel looked down, embarrassed "I was married, and I had two kids." He swallowed. "And they said I was having an episode, and that I forgot them." he looked up at her.

She looked sad, and in pain.

"I'm sorry; it's too much of a burden. I shouldn't have told you." Daniel said and stood.

"No, no, I'm glad you told me." Kate said standing up as well. "I just hate that you're going through this."

Daniel sat down and put his head in his hands. "I can't have kids Kate."

Kate blinked at him. "You mean you're…"

Daniel shook his head. "No, with this… I shouldn't spread this around. I don't want anything to do with those kids, but at the same time I want to know them better. Is that crazy?" Daniel asked. "I want to know how I proposed to her, and I want to know how I got her pregnant."

"Who is 'her'?" Kate asked.

Daniel looked down and figured he should lie. "Natalie," he swallowed. "I mean… the real… the doctor." He stuttered.

Kate nodded, and reached over, making the guilt in Daniel's stomach twist and writher, she grabbed his hand. "Have you talked to her about it?"

Daniel shook his head. "No, the 'friends' thing was a good idea, just… it didn't work; with the Natalie in my head she and I had a romantic relationship, with doctor Newsome and I… it wouldn't have worked out." Daniel lied. "I'm sorry." He said.

"You're sorry for what?" Kate asked a smile licking her lips.

Daniel shrugged. "Just I'm sorry."

Kate squeezed his hand. "It's okay Daniel. I understand. You don't have to apologize to me."

Daniel smiled.

"Daniel?" a much older Kate asked. "Are you okay?" she asked and Justin pressed a cool cloth to his forehead.

"I'm sorry," Daniel said and realized he was sitting down in his dining room.

"You don't have to apologize to us," Kate smiled. "Just come back to us." She said and kissed his nose. "What happened?"

Daniel felt faint. "I need to lie down."


	2. Chapter 2

Kate was at his bedside. She smiled sadly, and Daniel felt guilt tug at his abdomen. "I'm sorry I forgot." Daniel admitted.

Kate smiled and held his hand. "It is okay, how do you feel?"

"Nauseated, but that's probably from not eating today." Daniel shrugged.

"Justin's coming up with some soup; Mem is at classes she'll be back later." Kate said and stroked his cheek.

"Tell me about them." Daniel begged. "Tell me about us."

Kate smiled and kissed his hand. "We fell in love after you got out of the hospital when you had that breakdown in 2012. You proposed to me a year later. Five years later we had Justin and Memory."

Daniel smiled. "How did I propose?"

Kate smiled tears filling her eyes.

"Please tell me it wasn't something stupid." Daniel groaned.

Kate laughed. "It was, but it was so… you." She wiped her cheeks. "You were nervous, more than usual. And we took this walk to the top of a hill, and I knew something was up." She rolled her eyes. "But every time I tried to ask you something, you'd blow me off and keep rambling. Finally you said. 'I'm proposing to you I just can't find the words to tell you how much I love you.'"

"And you said yes?"

"And I said yes." She confirmed and Justin brought in soup.

"Are you okay dad?" Justin asked.

Daniel looked at his son and nodded sharply. "Yeah, I'll be okay." He whispered.

"Why don't you leave us alone for a little while, Justin?" Kate asked.

Justin tucked his hands into his back pockets and nodded. "Yeah, that's fine." He said and trooped out.

"Tell me about him." Daniel begged.

"He's a bright kid." Kate smiled. "Trouble maker though" She shook her head. "He once took our car to drive to the next state over."

Daniel scoffed. "Why the hell would he do that?"

"He heard about a kid in the hospital, and he drove all day and all night just to make sure the kid was okay." Kate smiled. "He knew the kid of course, a friend's cousin of someone he met from school."

Daniel nodded. "Big heart"

"He wants to be a doctor." Kate rolled her eyes. "He faints at the sight of blood though."

"There are other doctors; he doesn't have to work in a hospital." Daniel said defensively.

Kate nodded. "You're right, that's what we talked about to him, but he's dead set. He wants to be a cardiologist." She smiled. "As if he couldn't choose a doctor position that deals with more blood, he chooses the heart."

Daniel smiled. "Does he…"

Kate's eyebrows rose in question.

"Is he… like me?" Daniel asked.

Kate squeezed his hand. "Apart from the imaginary friends when they were little, both kids do not talk to people that aren't there." She promised him.

A knot in Daniel's chest unwound. "Oh thank God." He breathed, and still holding Kate's hand he pressed his forehead to his knees. "Thank you."

She smiled at him. "We had tests on them yearly, and we didn't keep it a secret that you were… you know." Kate shrugged. "Justin from an early age would help you get rid of them too. Talk to them. Ask them to leave, very politely. He even opened the door sometimes to let them out." Kate laughed.

Daniel nodded. "And Memory, how does she take my episodes?"

"She takes it as her fault." Kate shrugged and rolled her eyes. "I wish I could get her to change her mind. But she's stubborn."

"Like her mother." Daniel smiled and squeezed Kate's hand.

Kate playfully pushed him. "She wants to be a FBI agent, or a police officer, gawd help us." She shook her head. "My heart can take a lot, but just her going through PTSD, or getting shot… I don't know how I'd deal."

"You're a mom, a good one at that." Daniel smiled at her.

"Barely, you did a lot of the work." She smiled. "When they were born, you wouldn't leave my side, or theirs. You volunteered to change diapers, feed them, and play with them. That was the time it looked like your demons were almost gone." Kate wiped away another tear.

"What happened?"

Kate shrugged. "Well once I walked into the nursery to see you talk to nothing there, and you realized…" she sighed. "It wasn't completely gone, but you fought so hard to beat it. Doing more puzzles, extending help to the police and FBI, teaching classes, writing more books." Kate frowned. "Eventually… when the kids were two you were so busy that the kids never got to see you…"

"What happened after that?" Daniel asked.

"We found balance." Kate nodded. "It took a while, but every once and a while you would have a visitor." Kate shrugged.

Daniel frowned. "I'm sorry for putting you through this." Daniel sighed. "I guess I suck at being a husband?"

Kate purred. "Not completely…" she said and inched closer to him.

"Daniel?" Kate asked grabbing his wrist. He was at home now. "Hey, Lewicki said that you weren't responding to him, are you okay?"

Daniel blinked at Kate then the TV screen. "Another episode." He sighed and put his head in his knees. "I'm sorry." He admitted.

"It's okay, you don't have complete control over this, we understand." Kate smiled at him, and patted his back.

Lewicki came in with a cup of his favorite tea. "Here doc," he smiled and handed the warm mug over.

"Are you okay?" Kate asked.

Daniel shrugged and sipped the hot tea. "It was the same hallucination." He sighed. "I have two grown up kids, and a wife." He shook his head. "I'm going to bed." He said standing up.

()()()()

The next morning Daniel sat in his usual lecture hall waiting for people to walk in. He scribbled on the chalk board the topic of the day and then turned around to see a familiar face sitting in the middle row.

Her hair was a brown color and her eyes where light brown, she was biting the end of her pencil and she smiled at him when she caught his eye. Daniel blinked at her and felt his stomach drop. She was a dead ringer for Memory. "Lewicki!" Daniel shouted.

Lewicki walked in with the graded papers falling out of his arms. "Yeah, yeah doc, here they are." He sighed.

Daniel motioned for him to come closer. "A girl in the middle row, brown colored hair, light brown eyes chewing a pencil."

Lewicki swallowed and looked back. "Yes she's there." He nodded to her.

Daniel felt dizzy. "Am I married?" he asked struggling to stay on his feet.

"No, doc, you're not." Lewicki whispered. "Do you want to cancel the class?" he asked.

Daniel sighed and rubbed his forehead. "No, I'll talk to her after class."


	3. Chapter 3

Daniel ran out after class to the girl's side. "Memory!" he called out of pure instinct.

The girl turned around with a puzzled face. "What's crack-a-lacking doc?" she asked.

"Memory, it's me, where's your brother?" he demanded, grabbing her shoulders. "Where's Justin?"

"I… How…" the girl looked puzzled and Lewicki pulled Daniel off of the girl.

"Doc, chill, Doc…" Lewicki muttered to Daniel.

Daniel let go and then ran down the hallway.

"I am so sorry, are you okay miss?" Lewicki asked.

"Yeah… hey how did he know?" the girl asked.

Lewicki paused. "Know what?"

"My kid's names? I haven't told a soul here about me having a girl and a boy, fraternal twins." She panted. "Their names are Memory and Justin."

Lewicki swallowed, "Your name is?"

"Emily Lewis," she smiled. "I'm not upset about it, I'm just confused is all." She shook Lewicki's hand.

()()()()

Lewicki after settling Daniel down at home announced that there wasn't any more milk in the house and he was going out to get some.

"I don't drink milk!" Daniel yelped.

"Yeah but I do doc!" Lewicki said and shut the door before Daniel could say another word. Because before he was going to get the milk he was going to go to Kate and talk to her about Daniel's episode today.

"Hey Lewicki," Kate smiled "What's up?"

"Have a second?" Lewicki asked seeing the piles of paperwork behind her desk.

"I'm thinking about a lunch break." She nodded. "Why?"

"It's about Daniel."

"Probert!" Kate yelped. "I'm going on lunch!"

Probert began laughing. "You never go to lunch."

"Now I am. I'll be back in about an hour." Kate said throwing on her coat.

Lewicki relayed the story to Kate while driving to the supermarket. "And have you checked this girl out?"

"Not yet, that's why I was hoping…"

"Done," Kate nodded. "He called out Memory and Justin was the names?" she asked.

"Yeah," he swallowed. "Did he mention anything to you?"

Kate nodded and picked up an apple and pressed the coolness to her lips. "Yeah, he was married and he had two kids." She shrugged. "I don't remember much after that." She admitted.

"Who did he say he was married to?"

"Natalie," she nodded. "He said it was like an alternate universe or like that movie…"

Lewicki made a face. "Daniel knows she's not real though, he knows that they could never be together."

Kate swallowed. "So, what?"

"I know it's weird, but think about it: if Daniel knows she's not real, why would his subconscious?" Lewicki reasoned.

"So then who is he married to if he's not married to Natalie?" Kate asked.

()()()()

Lewicki came home late. "That took forever." Daniel remarked.

Lewicki noted the time. "Yah," he nodded. "Yo, Doc, these recent hallucinations…."

Daniel froze up and blinked up from his crossword. "Yeah?"

"What are they about?" Lewicki asked.

Daniel swallowed and cleared his throat. "I'm married, and I have kids." He said and looked down ashamed at his crossword, not really looking to solve it at this point.

"And their names are Memory and Justin?" Lewicki asked sitting down on an ottoman.

Daniel nodded.

"Who's your wife?" Lewicki asked.

"You've been talking to Kate?" Daniel asked.

Lewicki looked down. "We're just concerned about you."

Daniel nodded. "No, no, I understand." He swallowed. "It's alright." He cleared his throat.

"Are you hungry Doc?" Lewicki asked. "I can make some soup."

Daniel nodded, and noticed that he never answered the question, but it had seemed to slip from Lewicki's mind already as he was preparing some Tortilla Soup.

()()()()

A hesitant knock hit Daniel's door the next morning. It was the girl. "Memory, ah… I'm sorry, what's your real name?"

"It is okay doc, I knew about your… I'm Emily Lewis." She smiled and stuck out her hand. "I just wanted to make sure you know I'm okay with what happened, and I didn't want you to feel, awkward about it."

He nodded and took off his glasses. "So you don't want an explanation?"

"Of why you know my kids names, or why you called me by my daughter's name. No, yes, but I won't worry about it." She nodded and smiled at him.

"Your kid's names?" he asked.

"Memory and Justin," Emily nodded. "They turn two in a few months."

Daniel swallowed. "What…"

"Memory is a bright child, and Justin is very creative." She smiled and sat down. "What are yours like?"

He shrugged. "I don't know."

Her watch beeped "Sorry, I got to run, in between classes, you know how it is." Emily stood and before walking out the door she turned to him. "Doc, I don't want this to change anything."

Daniel nodded. "Of course, uh…. What was your name again?" he asked.

"Oh, it's…" Emily paused and smiled "Ha-ha Doc, I'll see you around."

Daniel smiled. "Good bye Emily." He called.

()()()()

Kate was the next to knock on his door that day. "Daniel?" she asked cautiously walking in.

"Kate, come in!" Daniel smiled and took off his reading glasses.

"Hey, Lewicki and I were talking yesterday…"Kate said and sat down in one of his guest chairs. "I wanted to make sure…"

Daniel felt panicky. "Sure about what?"

"In your hallucination, who are you married to?" Kate looked concerned.

But to Daniel she looked hurt. It took him a moment to answer, because he was so ashamed. "I'm married to you." He said so quietly that Kate thought she misheard him.

Kate's face was shocked.

Daniel thought it looked like she was appalled. "I didn't want to tell you, I mean honestly Kate, I'm at least twenty years older than you, and it would never work out…" he stood and ran his hands through his hair. "I'm sorry I lied, I just didn't think it would've mattered. But I guess it did, I'm sorry," he said and leaned against a wall and hit his head.

Kate got up and put her hand between his head and the wall to cushion the blow. "What are you sorry about Daniel?" she asked.

Daniel swallowed. "You're mad, I'm sorry." He frowned. "I'm sorry I lied, and I'm sorry I hallucinated that we were married and had kids…"

"I'm upset that you lied, but not upset about the marriage part." Kate smiled.

"You're not?" Daniel croaked.

Kate shook her head. "First, it's not your fault, and second, do you remember that crush my dad told you about?"

"Yeah?"

"I still kind of have it, and" she shrugged. "If you want to, I want to."

Daniel smiled. "I want to." He nodded. "Very much want to."

Kate laughed.

And Daniel decided that was the prettiest sound in the world, and so he kissed her.

The best part was when she kissed back.


End file.
